About This Program
Launch your career in cybersecurity with Kent State's program. Gain the skills needed to protect against cyber threats and secure networks in today's digital world. Read more...
Contact Information
Program Delivery
Examples of Possible Careers*
Information security analysts
- 31.2% much faster than the average
- 131,000 number of jobs
- $103,590 potential earnings
Additional Careers
- Cybersecurity Technician
- Incident Response Specialist
- Network Security Administrator
- Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.
For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid | Semester One |
|---|
| IT 11004 | SURVEY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 11005 | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING SYSTEMS AND NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 16 |
| Semester Two |
|---|
| IT 11009 | COMPUTER ASSEMBLY AND CONFIGURATION | 3 |
| IT 13000 | APPLIED SECURITY ESSENTIALS | 3 |
| IT 15000 | FUNDAMENTALS OF PROGRAMMING FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
IT 21003
| SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS
or CYBER ETHICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21004 | INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Semester Three |
|---|
| IT 21002 | NETWORK SETUP AND CONFIGURATION | 3 |
| IT 21015 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21300 | INTRODUCTION TO SECURITY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| IT 23000 | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING SYSTEM SECURITY | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Semester Four |
|---|
| IT 21009 | SEMINAR IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21110 | NETWORK ROUTING AND SWITCHING | 3 |
| IT 21200 | ETHICAL HACKING | 3 |
| IT 24000 | DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING SECURITY POLICIES | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 61 |
University Requirements
All students in an applied or technical associate degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements, please see Program Requirements for details.
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| 1 |
| |
| 15 |
| 60 |
| |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Apply core cybersecurity principles and tools to protect information assets and IT infrastructure in real-world organizational contexts.
- Identify, analyze and mitigate security risks and vulnerabilities in organizational environments using appropriate methods, frameworks and industry standards.
- Display professional, legal and ethical behavior in cybersecurity practice while communicating technical information clearly to diverse audiences and collaborating with team members.
- Exhibit career readiness by curating a small portfolio of cybersecurity artifacts and brief reflections that connect coursework to workplace roles and skills.
Full Description
The Associate of Applied Business in Cybersecurity delivers an applied foundation in protecting information assets and business operations. Students learn to analyze threats, assess risk, conduct security testing and monitoring, and support enterprise risk management. Building on core IT knowledge in networking, hardware and operating systems, the curriculum adds project management and collaboration for incident workflows and introductory database skills for data-driven investigations. Students are introduced to artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted workflows, including responsible use of AI for log triage, reporting and documentation, with attention to privacy, bias and verification. Graduates are prepared for entry-level roles in security operations and IT support with a security emphasis.
The degree program articulates with Kent State's Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.
